Former Jefferson quarterback Bryant Shirreffs is transferring to Connecticut from N.C. State. He will sit out the 2014 season and have three seasons of eligibility remaining.

After a year at N.C. State, Shirreffs is transferring to Connecticut for his final three seasons of eligibility. Shirreffs, who won a Class AA state championship as a senior with the Dragons in 2012, must sit out the 2014 season.

He talked with current players, who spoke of how quickly new head coach Bob Diaco, a former Notre Dame defensive coordinator, had changed the culture of the program.

“Where the program’s headed, I felt like I could be a fit with that,” Shirreffs said. “I could definitely see how they would attack all their workouts and conditioning. I could tell the program is on the rise.”

The Huskies play in the American Athletic Conference, which includes some teams from the former Big East and some newcomers from Conference USA. Shirreffs said the Huskies have the chance to be among the contenders for league supremacy in the near future.

Their offensive system, with some pro style and lining up in the I formation and playing fast along with some chances to play out of the shotgun, felt similar to Shirreffs early high school days.

His first year in Storrs, Conn., Shirreffs will only be able to practice.

“I’ll get a whole year to digest the system and work on my craft as a quarterback,” Shirreffs said.